A shocking bill arrived from the energy provider: they wanted an additional payment of more than 850 euros and increased the monthly payment by 75 euros for electricity, gas, and water. What to do? The Consumer Advice Centre recommends checking the bill thoroughly first. According to the list for this year, water consumption has increased more than fivefold over last year.
A customer advisor from the energy supplier said on the phone that an error could have happened. He asked for the email with the name, address, contract account, and a photo of the current status of the water meter. The bill would then be checked and corrected if there was any error.
The solution is not always that simple. Consumers can turn to a free institution; the energy arbitration board, if they encounter problems.
Information on complaints and conciliation, in general, is available on the Federal Network Agency’s website:
https://www.bundesnetzagentur.de/DE/Vportal/Energie/BeschwerdeSchlichtung/start.html
for more information and an online application for free arbitration can be found at
https://www.schlichtungsstelle-energie.de/was-tun-bei-problemen-mit-dem-Provider.html
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Ein Fehler in der Rechnung vom Energieversorger. Foto: tünews INTERNATIONAL / Ute Kaiser.
